Soul Asylum, Eve 6, Everclear rock Montana State Fair

One of Soul Asylum’s most recognizable tunes is called “Somebody to Shove,” and after Sunday night’s performance at the Montana State Fair, one could argue they should shove their way to headliner on the Summerland Tour.

With a set list that included eight blistering tracks with no interruptions of banter between frontman Dave Pirner and the crowd, Soul Asylum didn’t look like a band that began the same year Ronald Reagan first took office.

In nontraditional fashion, the four-piece band started the spry set by playing all four of its major hits in the first five songs, including “Somebody to Shove,” “Misery,” “Black Gold” and “Runaway Train,” before heading into a more obscure and feedback-heavy back catalog.

Just as quickly as they arrived, they left the stage with a friendly wave, leaving many in the audience wanting more.

Eve 6 began the evening of music with a spirited set led by vocalist Max Collins, who made sure to joke with the crowd between nearly every song.

“We love you more than your parents love you. We love you more than your friends love you. Ours is a love like a blazing Montana sun. Now sing it like you’re at a pub in Dublin or a fair in Montana,” he said before the band played the song “Here’s to the Night.”

With a quick set that spanned roughly 35 minutes with nine songs, Eve 6 ended the night with its hit “Inside Out,” shortly after taking cellphone pictures of the crowd.

The headliner for Summerland is Everclear, fronted by Art Alexakis, who is also the brainchild behind the tour.

Before the show began, Alexakis left the comfy confines of the band’s tour bus to walk the food alley at the fair.

“I’m gonna see what these elephant ears are all about,” he said just before he disappeared into the crowd of fairgoers.

Everclear fans were just as excited to see the band as Alexakis was to check out the unique food items at the fair.

Just before she entered the arena, Great Falls resident Tatjanna Miller said she was looking forward to Everclear more than the other two bands and mentioned a particular song as being important to her.

“I’m really always associated with the song ‘Wonderful,’” she said, adding that she expected a good turnout. “Great Falls has a lot of people still stuck in the ’90s.”

“They’re just one of those bands where they’ve got a song for everyone,” added her husband, Rod Miller. “No matter what situation you’re in.”

Everclear took the stage to darkness, playing random riffs to excite the crowd. Once the lights kicked in, they went straight into their hit tune “So Much for the Afterglow” off the album of the same name, which sold more than 2 million copies.

The crowd jumped in unison with the members of Everclear in the next tune, “Everything to Everyone,” and Alexakis had the crowd sing the first verse to “Father of Mine,” before finally taking over.

Alexakis grabbed an acoustic guitar at one point and serenaded the crowd with a cover of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” which he dedicated to his daughters.

Returning for an encore, the band played a medley of classic rock tunes from bands like Judas Priest, Queen, Deep Purple and the Scorpions, culminating in a Led Zeppelin tribute and the song “Rock and Roll.”

The evening ended with members of all three bands playing the Everclear hit “Santa Monica” with a total of 10 musicians on the stage.

Fans were mixed after the gig, offering a variety of opinions about the trio of bands.

“It was a great concert overall,” Matthew Dobler said. “It was my first time seeing Eve 6 and I thought they did well. Good live performance.”